The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-14

down into exact statement, end you would soon
discover that they raise two difficulties where
they seem to settle His burning aversion
to what he claimed were the teachings of John
Calvin and the Westminster Confession of Faith
is we'll known. I need not say to those who have
studied those writings as expounded by the vast
majority of our best divines, that he misnter-
preted and grossly caricatured them. With his
intense emotionalism and his wonderful power
OF word painting, he delighted to picture an aw
full, hideous, distorted image which he called
Calvinism, and then visit upon it the torrents of
his indignation.
'The two strong and beautiful characteristics
OF Mr.. Beecher's sermons. which have made
them so remarkably effective for good, his
sympathy with and profound knowledge of men
and his burning, adoring love of the divine
Christ. In Mr. Beecher's sermons there are
three things which he has en- phasized in such
way to be of immense help to thousands.
These are that religion means ~ love and (2l
joy and (3) manhood after the Christ pattern.
From Mr. Beecher's Old Church.
Last evening the Rev. DR.. McLeod's sermon
at the Second Presbyterian Church, as the pas
tor of which Mr.. Beecher served early in his
career, was suggested by the eleventh verse of
the fourth chapter of Hebrews, He being dead
yet speaketh." Dr.. Mcleod said: 'Mr. Beecher
began his work in this city on the last day of
July, 1889, and closed it on the 10Th of Septem-
Der, 1647, so that for nearly eight years Indian
apolis was his home and this church enjoyed his
minlstrations. In looking roll of
members, / find that twenty i've or thirty
who waited upon his ministry are still among
us. Four of our ruling elders Indeed, | may
say FIVE. for we still claim Mr.. Jackson) and
of our trustees belong to this old band. They
remem Der the old academy in the second story
of which Mr.. Beecher first preached when he
| came to this city; and, doubtless. some of them
can remember many touching incident
| nected with his early ministry. IL the academy,
| and afterwards in the church that was built on
| the Circle, Mr.. Beecher preached with great
power. To these places many could point and
say, we were born there, for there we first saw
and first embraced Jesus our Savior.
AS pastor Of this church Mr. Beecher loved his
people, and his people loved him. He was
young, brilliant, enthusiasts and devoted. He
preached with all his might, and the people
heard him gladly. When he left for Brooklyn
he was followed with the church's prayers and
benedctions. That he realized both the i'm
portance and responsibility of his new field of
labor is evident from his letter to Plymout tn
Church. Here it is in full:
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 10. 1S47
| Dear Brothcr-I desire to convey through you to
Plymouth Church and congregation my acceptance of
the call to the pastoral Office rendered by them to
l cannot regard the responsibilities of this impor
tant field without the most serious dffidence. and
wholly put my trust in that Savior whom 1 am to
language of Paul: Brethren, pray for us that the
word of the Lord may have free course and be glo-
rifed." am, in Christian love- most truly yours,
| H. W. BEECHEssz
cess as preacher, his great patriotism as citi-
| zen and his great labors in behalf Of the down
trodden and oppressed is known to all the world
| And for all that he has done in the interests of
truth and righteousness, for all that he has done
| for his country which be loved and for his Sa-
| vior, whom he adored, this church is profoundly
| thankful to almighty God
| Mr. Beecher was great patriot, and as such,
| ha HAV dnaa VAT alyCt a Ha nVnH his
| country with all his heart, and when it most
needed true friends, he worked for it with all his
| might. During the dark days of the civil war
he was tower of strength, and he was the VIC
| torious defender of his country's rights and
| righteousness He made England listen to him,
| and he convinced her arstocracy and all who
| had been sympathizing with the great Rebellion
| that the North was right and that the South was
| wrong. He put patriotism above party, and he
had the courage TO do what he believed to be best
| for his country. and most patriotic. even when
his own party unanimously condemned him.
Mr.. Beecher was a great preacher, and, as
| such, he being dead, yet speaketh In his early
| years and while pastor of this church he was
| thoroughly evangelical. He preached Jesus
Christ and Him crucifed the only hope for a
lost world. His appeals to sinners to accept
| Gods offers of mercy through Jesus Christ were
so tender and so powerful that they seemed to
be almost irresistible, and indeed the Lord did
bless his labors very abundantly. Great multi
tudes were gathered into the church through his
|
that in his later years he departed from his ear
lier faith, but it should not be forgotten that for
more than thirty years he stood up manfully fol
the crown rights of the King and head of the
church and for all the essential truths Of our
holy Christianity.
Mr.. Beecher was always so eccentric genius
that it would not be easy to define his doc
! trinal status, even in the days when he wa
most evangelical AS pastor of this church ant
during his earlier ministry in Brooklyn he was
undoubtedly, what might be called moderat
Calvinist. But, strictly speaking he was neve
a theoogian. His mind ran in other directions
5 He was genius He was poet In his bes
moods he could talk like an angel about tn
sublime and the beautiful, both in nature an
in grace. The laws Of logic had no charms 70
. him. They hampered him. Hence he discarde
: them. But nevertheless he a grea
| preacher. And, in certain sense, it must b
Z confessed that he great theologian. too
!, for as religious teacher he has exerted vas
@ influence upon the minds of men,
Mr.. Beecher's style and method as preache
> differ from that Of any other minister hav
ever known. He told me few years ago tina
/. he never thought of preparing his sermon IN.
X Sunday morning Then he went into his stud
and dotted down this and that. and the othe
: thought and suggestion =, and with thes
g preached, trusting to the occasion for suitabl
9 language in which to express his thoughts
9 1t IS probably true that Mr.. Beecher was til
= only clergyman in America who could with e,
d tire safety adopt that method of preparation ft
n the pulpit But he could do it. and do it vel
% His mind was 80 full, and his vocabulary
n large and his resources so abundant thu
" he was never at loss either for ideas or fo
IS words in which to clothe them.
e 1t was in this city that he tells US he preache
n the first real sermon he ever uttere
lr In an article entitled Home Raysitet
= meaning thereby Indianapolis and tn
b church-he says "There can be no place s
q memorable to our after years as that in While
3, we began life and received first develo
" ment This is true, whatever a mans caliii
IS may be- but there is that in pastors off
al which gives peculiar interest to all his fir
ri efforts"